Overcoming any injury is difficult enough but having to convince your future employer that you’ll be back to your former self post-recovery is another challenge.
That’s what UCF defensive tackle Kalia Davis had to do and one NFL team believed in him.
The San Francisco 49ers selected Davis with the 220th overall pick of the draft in the sixth round Saturday.
Davis is the first Knight selected in this year’s draft and the 48th in program history.
The 49ers had their eye on Davis prior to the draft hosting him for a prospect visit earlier this month.
With the selection of Davis, UCF’s streak of having players drafted in the NFL has extended to six years.
A first-team all-conference pick in 2019, Davis sat out the next season due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Looking to bounce back after a year off, he returned to UCF for coach Gus Malzahn’s first season in Orlando.
Then, five games in, Davis suffered a season-ending knee injury in October.
Fortunately for Davis, he is well on his way to recovery. Davis said at UCF Pro Day on April 2 that he would be ready for NFL training camp in July.
He feels confident about his future in the league.
“I see a lot of upside in me when I get healthy,” Davis said at the time. “I feel like if I didn’t get hurt we wouldn’t even be having this conversation.
“They’re going to get someone who is a disrupter,” he added. “Someone who is coming in to make an impact from Day One.”
Prior to his knee injury, Davis made 17 tackles, 4.5 tackles for loss and one sack, with three quarterback hurries in five starts.
As a redshirt sophomore in 2019, he recorded 27 total tackles and was sixth on the team with 8 tackles for loss. He was also tied for third at UCF with 3 sacks and added a pass breakup, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery.
Davis is the fifth defensive lineman in program history to be drafted and the most recent since Trysten Hill, who was selected in 2019′s second round by the Dallas Cowboys.
Email Jason Beede at jbeede@orlandosentinel.com or follow him on Twitter at @therealBeede.
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